Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art: The Dinner Party: Heritage Floor: Hannah Adams

Hannah Adams was among that first generation of New England women to become professional writers in post-Revolutionary America. She received no formal education; her father's extensive library, as well as the divinity students who boarded in the family home, were her tutors. Her first book was published in 1784 under the title An Alphabetical Compendium of the Various Sects Which Have Appeared from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Present Day (subsequent editions were called View of Religious Opinions). This was followed by A Summary History of New-England (1799), The Truth and Excellence of the Christian Religion Exhibited (1804), History of the Jews (1812), and Letters on the Gospels (1824). Her memoirs were published a year after her death.